President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has asked Patriotism Coordinators to maintain a healthy lifestyle by abstaining from reckless habits like sexual promiscuity, alcoholism, and substance abuse among others.
According to Museveni, taking care of yourself by maintaining a healthy life style helps one to develop full potential in order to make a meaningful contribution to the country.
He explained that such reckless habits are also harmful and they can ruin lives.
The President made the remarks on Wednesday in a speech read for him by his Deputy Retired Major Jessica Alupo while officiating at the Oliver Reginald Tambo School of Leadership and Pan African Excellence in Kaweweta Nakaseke District.
This was during the pass out of 170 National Patriotism Regional Cities, District Coordinators, and Staff from the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps who have been undergoing retreat.
The group of Coordinators comprised of Head teachers, Deputy Head teachers and teachers from different schools both Government and privately owned.
Museveni said that the training is aimed at exposing leaders to the core values and principles of revolutionary governance.
He emphasized that it it’s important because it teaches you to prioritize your country above self and putting national interests before the sectarian interests of one’s tribe, religions and regions among others.
He said that Patriotism is one of the core principles of the National Resistance Movement and said they must love Uganda, protect the environment adding that loving Uganda means loving all Ugandans regardless of their tribes , religion, region or gender .
“This is because every Ugandan, young or old, male or female is useful since they are consumers of different goods and services. Therefore, this means that where there is sectarianism, trade cannot be successful and therefore economic development and growth will stagnate.
Traders depend on all consumers, regardless of their tribe religion or gender. To drive his point home, Museveni gave an example of Banyankore who produce milk which is needed by the people in Kampala and other parts of the country.
He said without the people of Kampala and other milk consumers from other regions, the milk producers cannot prosper.
He then appealed to Patriots to be ambassadors of the NRM’s message on wealth creation where they should engage themselves in for economic prosperity, job creation such as commercial agriculture, services, industries and Information Communication Technology emphasizing that they are profitable.
“As you talk about patriotism, love for Uganda, you should also work for Pan Africanism. That is, love for Africa. It’s is Pan Africanism that can guarantee our property and strategic security on a larger scale. The Economic integration of Africa gives us access to the bigger African market of 1.2 billion people, hence supporting our efforts to expand the economy of Uganda,” said Museveni.
On her part, the Commissioner National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps, Hellen Seku said that the coordinators were appointed by the President in 2009 but they had not gotten a chance to do a retreat despite serving diligently for 13 years and also having been handy during the previous elections.
As such, Seku said that she found it fit to bring them to Kaweweta for the staff in her office to bond with the coordinators and also to remind them of the mission of patriotism.
She also revealed that the President realized that the speed at which the management team was moving at the Secretariat did not match the increasing demand and in his wisdom decided to overhaul the Secretariat and appointed a brand new team of young people who can match up the fast pace of the dotcom generation.
She said it was on this basis that she was appointed and officially assumed office in January 2024 and that one of the immediate assignments she had to take up was to build synergy between the new team at Secretariat and the team of Coordinators scattered all over the country and that formed the basis for this retreat.
The Commandant of the School Col Justus Rukundo said the school must teach and train the Defense Forces Leadership and prepare them ideologically to have the necessary competencies to conceptualize, analyze and understand the Global Dynamics of yesterday, today and project the possibilities of the tomorrow.
Rukundo said the training is important for today’s Leaders, Military or civil, so as to ably manage the Human material and Financial Resources available to any globalized environment and resources.
He said the historical significance of Reginald Tambo School is that it has served as a Training ground for liberation forces like the NRA and ANC combatants and all of whose liberation effort resulted into African Peoples freedom hence naming it after the former ANC President Oliver Reginald Tambo.
The Chairperson of the Memorandum Committee and Chief Whip of Coordinators Irene Semuko who is also the Deputy Headteacher of Kasanga Seed Secondary School appealed to the President to increase on the honorarium given to them saying the districts are big with many schools and the coordinators have to transport themselves to all schools.
She also asked that their uniform be gazetted for proper identification during field activities.
Story By URN
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